January is Get Organized Month!TAKE THE QUIZ to see if you need help getting off on the right foot for 2009.Which of the following best describes your home?A. There is barely a path from the door to the couch. You avoid coming home at all costs.
B. Nearly every flat surface is covered with stuff. You spend most of your time out of the house because the clutter stresses you out.
C. Your home feels chaotic because things don't have a home. Things just seem to get shuffled around from one place to the next. You've had thoughts of taking a giant vacuum and sucking up the entire house.
D. Your home is neat and orderly on the outside but behind closed doors, lookout! Cabinets and closets are a mess and it causes frustration.
E. Your home is your refuge. You love being home and you feel relaxed when you are there.
Which of the following best describes your daily activities?A. You have little routine in your day and you feel like a chicken with it's head cut off. You leave the house daily without something and you try to avoid making appointments because you don't know how you'll remember you made it.
B. Your calendar and to do list are in your head. You think you can remember everything but you constantly forget things, dates and appointments which cause you and those around you to be anxious most of the time.
C. You make lists on sticky notes and post them throughout the house. You are forever losing the notes and your house looks like a giant bulletin board.
D. You have several calendars and occasionally double book or miss appointments because of it. You are involved in everything and have difficulty saying no.
E. You have one calendar and a to do list which both have homes. You are fairly efficient with your time and your schedule is a reflection of the things you value.
Which of the following best describes your grocery shopping routine?A. The pantry is so overstuffed that entering it is unbearable.You end up eating out or buying a quick meal every night. You have difficulty thinking beyond one meal at a time.
B. You don't follow a menu or make a grocery list. You typically spend too much at the grocery store and you never know what to make for dinner.
C. You try to follow a menu but you often end up short on an ingredient or two and need to make a last minute run to the store to finish the meal.
D. You shop randomly and buy in bulk to be sure you will always have enough. Truth be told though, things often expire before they all get used and you often end up with duplicates.
E. You follow a menu and use a grocery list. You know at a glance what ingredients you have in the house.
Which of the following best describes your laundry routine?A. You have no system whatsoever. Most days you can't find what you are looking for and end up wearing something else or buying new things. If you ever got to the bottom of any of the piles, you'd probably find all the missing clothes.
B. You've got dirty clothes covering the floor in your closet and a mountain of clean clothes to be folded on the spare bed or couch most of the time.
C. Laundry is done on the weekends and is a HUGE chore. You spend most of the weekend sorting, washing, folding and putting it away. You basically dread weekends.
D. You feel like a slave to the laundry. Most of the time you are almost caught up but keeping up with entire family's clothes is a lot of work. If only you had a few more arms, you might be able to keep up.
E. You've got a system in place. Clothes are sorted by everyone because hampers are labeled by sorting categories. This makes throwing in a load an easy task. Dry clothes are sorted into baskets by person. Everyone folds and puts away their own clothes which eases the burden on mom.
Which of the following best describes how you feel about having others in your home?A. No one has set foot in your house for years. You avoid play dates, company and hosting family gatherings. No one gets past your front door.
B. You used to love having people over and enjoyed entertaining but you haven't had anyone over in a long time. Now that you think about it, it's just too hard to clean up to entertain. You wish it wasn't that way.
C. You enjoy entertaining except for the preparations. When you find out someone is coming over, you throw everything in bags and shove the bags in the closet or garage. The bags never make it back out and those things are lost forever (or until Susan pulls them out while organizing and makes you go through them)
D. Entertaining is rather stressful for you. You spend a lot of time looking for platters, bowls and other things you don't frequently use. It also bothers you to have people in and out of your cabinets because they feel so unorganized.
E. You enjoy entertaining and host family gatherings regularly. You are at rest with the order of your home and know where to find everything. Plus, it's labeled so everyone else can find it too!
How To Score:A's are worth 5 points
B's are worth 4 points
C's are worth 3 points
D's are worth 2 points
E's are worth 1 point
Understanding Your Score:21-25: Your lack of organization is affecting not only your quality of life, but of those around you as well. The deeper you get in your clutter, the more withdrawn you become. The more withdrawn you become, the more you buy to fill the void. The cycle continues and you feel very stuck. You need my help.
16-20: You have the tendency to overbuy. Your house is overflowing because you have too much! It is time to slow down, learn to have limits and set boundaries. Your life can benefit from simplifying. By hiring me, you can learn these skills.
11-15: Your house is pretty organized but there are a few places you tend to have trouble with. Hiring me for 1-2 sessions could improve your efficiency and remove the stress of those trouble areas.
6-10: Congratulations! Your life and space already reflect the quality of life you desire. Reading my tips and tricks will help take your organization to the next level.
5: I strongly recommend you consider a career in the field of professional organizing.
For those of you who are not in the Phoenix, AZ area, you can find an organizer in your area at
http://www.napo.net/referral/
